


My Husband Who Lives On Tatooine

by Serenade



Category: The Mandalorian (TV)
Genre: Communication Issues, Fake Marriage, M/M, Pining, Post-Mandalorian Season 2, Requited Love, Romantic Gestures, Sharing a Bed
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2021-02-14
Updated: 2021-02-14
Packaged: 2021-03-12 05:15:40
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,642
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/29255085
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Serenade/pseuds/Serenade
Summary: Din needs a favour. Cobb is happy to oblige. Even if it stirs up complicated feelings.
Relationships: Din Djarin/Cobb Vanth
Comments: 30
Kudos: 181
Collections: Chocolate Box - Round 6





	My Husband Who Lives On Tatooine

**Author's Note:**

  * For [Another Wayward Cowgirl (viajeramyra)](https://archiveofourown.org/users/viajeramyra/gifts).



Cobb wasn't sure he believed in fate, but he couldn't deny that sometimes the stars lined up just right. Like the Mandalorian showing up exactly when Cobb needed his help to save the town. They had known each other for a handful of days, but they had forged a connection, the way you did when it was life and death. Cobb hadn't been able to forget about him. Even though he stopped waiting by the comms for news of a ship coming back. Even though he told himself he was a fool to dream.

Now the man walked through his door like a mirage come to life.

"I need to ask you a favour," the Mandalorian said.

"Sure. Kill another krayt dragon? Get me out of my armour?" This with a friendly smirk. "Oh wait, you already did that." Flirting was safe. A way to test the waters, gently, before jumping in--

"Will you marry me?"

"Buy me dinner first," Cobb returned. When the silence stretched, he said, "Was that a joke? Or not a joke? You'd better not be playing with my heart." His heart was, for that matter, suddenly pounding like a drum.

"It's a long story," the Mandalorian sighed. "Where do you want to have dinner?"

*

The fanciest joint in Mos Pelgo was a place called Ruby's. It was a step up from the cantina, with real flowers in vases and candles in little glass bowls. Cobb asked for a secluded table in the corner. It was a compromise: they could avoid being overheard, but not avoid causing gossip. A private dinner between the Marshal and the Mandalorian? That would set tongues wagging for sure.

"Anything but krayt dragon meat," Cobb told the server. The Tuskens had brought it to market in bulk, and the townsfolk had snapped it up as a bargain. Within weeks, it had gone from a prized delicacy, to everyone being heartily sick of it. Maybe the Tuskens had got sick of eating it too.

"It's politics," the Mandalorian said, weariness in his voice. "Mandalorian politics. I'm being pressured into a certain situation, and the only way I can get out of it, is if they think I'm already married. Because it requires me to be free to marry someone eligible."

"And I wouldn't be eligible?" Cobb hazarded.

"They probably want a Mandalorian warrior," he said gloomily, "with clan bloodlines going back for generations."

Cobb wondered if they had someone particular in mind. "Do Mandalorians have arranged marriages?"

"No. We choose freely who we love and who we wed. But this certain situation is--very unusual." He added, reluctantly, "So I might have implied that I was already committed to someone."

Cobb raised his eyebrows. "Me?"

"I didn't mention any names. I was trying to be vague. But somebody--" He growled with displeasure. "--decided to guess yours. And things kind of escalated from there."

Cobb wished he had been a fly on the wall for that conversation.

"I didn't mean to get you involved. I'm not asking you for anything you're not willing to give. But if you could pretend, just for a little while, until they stop pressuring me." He sounded like a man at the end of his rope.

"Well, at least it gave you an excuse to come back here again." Cobb wanted to laugh. This was all the things he wanted, in the exact opposite way he wanted. Out loud, he said, "We'd better make it look good then." He clasped the Mandalorian's gloved hand, and raised it to his lips, pressing a kiss across the knuckles.

There was a satisfying gasp from the nearby tables.

The Mandalorian froze for a moment. Cobb wondered if he had acted too brashly. Then the Mandalorian touched his face in a tender caress. In a gravelly voice, he said, "Thank you."

Somebody wolf-whistled. But Cobb wasn't paying attention. _I am in deep trouble._

*

They walked home together under a sky brilliant with stars. On the way, the Mandalorian finally told Cobb about what had happened with the child. "He's with his own people now. Learning about his powers." A catch in his voice. "I promised him I would see him again."

"Then you will. You're a man of your word." Cobb clapped a hand on his shoulder, offering comfort. The Mandalorian, unexpectedly, leaned into it. Cobb followed the impulse to pull him close, arm slung around his neck. They walked on that way for a while.

Cobb was doing some quick thinking. "I can pretend to be married to you easy enough. But what if someone checks the town hall register? Or asks the locals if they witnessed the ceremony?"

"Mandalorian custom doesn't require those things. All that matters are the vows between the two being joined."

Well. That was convenient. "Still. If we want to make everyone think we got hitched, instead of just shacking up together, it would be handy to have some kind of proof. Even if you had a ring--"

"I do."

Cobb stared at the plain silver bands that the Mandalorian brought out. Two of them, shining in the starlight. No. Not silver. Not steel. It had to be beskar. He held his breath, feeling like he was trespassing on something sacred. "These are--I mean, you should--" _Save them. For when you get married for real._

"Give me your hand," the Mandalorian said.

Half in a daze, Cobb put out his hand. The Mandalorian slid the ring onto his finger. It fit like it was made for it. Cobb held it up to look. Bright and beautiful. The Mandalorian was looking at it too, expression hidden under the helmet. He shone the same way as the ring. It was like having a little piece of him to carry around.

"Let me put the other one on you," Cobb said.

The Mandalorian tugged the glove from his hand, and Cobb slid the ring onto his finger. It felt almost scandalous to see bare skin, let alone put his own hands on it. When it was done, he couldn't help but keep looking. They matched.

"You had better call me Din," the Mandalorian said. "Since we're doing this. My name is Din Djarin."

That brought Cobb back to earth. Marrying a man when he didn't even know his name. What was he thinking? No. Not marrying. He had to remember that. Just pretending.

"Din," he said, with a wide smile. "Nice to meet you."

*

"I hope you don't mind sharing a bed. I'd offer you the couch instead, but the truth is I don't have one." Cobb turned on the light. It was like he was seeing the place for the first time through a stranger's eyes. A narrow bed in a narrow room. A narrow life. "Sorry, it's kind of cramped."

"I'm used to sleeping shipboard. This is fine." Din lifted his hands to his helmet.

Cobb caught his arm. "Wait. What are you doing?"

Din paused. "Nothing is hidden. Not between spouses."

It made sense. Cobb had wondered. "But if this is temporary--it's different, isn't it?" It felt wrong somehow, to take advantage of the situation, to gain access to that level of intimacy. "You should save that for someone you're going to share your life with."

A longer pause this time. "All right."

Cobb turned off the light. They undressed in the dark, nothing brighter than starlight through the window. The soft chime of metal on metal, as Din laid his armour down. The helmet was last to go.

They settled their bodies onto the bed, shifting to find a comfortable way to curl together. Cobb had assumed that Din would want to preserve some formality. Some physical distance to match his emotional reserve. But Din relaxed with a sigh, turning his head into the curve of a shoulder. Cobb found himself wrapping an arm around his waist, holding on. There was hard muscle, as expected, but also warm skin. Soft hair tickled his cheek.

Cobb imagined learning the shape of his face in the dark. There was an old folk tale, wasn't there, about a woman who never saw the face of her lover, who only knew him by night. Some kind of enchantment? They could be together as long as she never looked on his true form. Cobb couldn't remember how the story ended.

Maybe this honeymoon was all they had.

*

Cobb made them breakfast, but they took turns eating, so that Din could have privacy without the helmet. Just as well though. Cobb lived like a bachelor: a single cup, a single plate, a single set of utensils.

"So," Cobb said, "did you want help moving the rest of your stuff in?"

Din shifted uncomfortably. "This is it. I travel light these days."

All he had was the armour he stood up in. He must be storing the rest of his gear on his ship. Of course. He was going to move on after this. Not move in for good. Cobb pushed down a sudden pang. This was the deal. He knew that. He had to stop thinking they were really playing house. Then again--

"While you're living here, you'll need your own things," Cobb said. "We're going shopping."

They picked up provisions and supplies at the market, while everyone tried to subtly pump information from Cobb. Rumour had run wild all over town since last night. The Marshal was courting the Mandalorian. The Mandalorian had stayed over with the Marshal. They had gone walking hand in hand through the dunes at midnight.

Cobb did his best to hint at their relationship, without outright lying to anyone. He made sure word got around, by telling a dozen different people it was a secret. "His people don't approve," he explained. "So we're keeping it low key." He absently touched his ring a lot, which drew wide-eyed stares. With luck, the news would spread through Mos Pelgo, and all over Tatooine, and beyond.

*

People came by the house with presents: wine, spotchka, and krayt dragon pies. It was mostly an excuse to stickybeak at their newly resident Mandalorian. Din seemed bewildered by the attention.

"They just want to make you feel welcome," Cobb said, over breakfast. They had a folding screen now, to put across the table, so they could finally eat together.

"It's strange," Din said. He sounded different without his helmet. The voice modulator filtered out so many nuances. "People aren't usually this happy to see me."

"No kidding, if you show up to take the bounty on their heads. But everyone here watched you walk down a dragon's gullet to save this place. They're showing their appreciation, that's all."

Even with the krayt dragon gone and the Tuskens at truce, there was still plenty to do. Cobb spent the days sorting out disputes and patrolling for hazards. Din roamed further afield, tracking down bandits and outlaws, and collecting news about any signs of trouble.

They spent the nights curled together in bed, talking until the stars were high, or just breathing softly side by side. Din was always the first to get up and get dressed, as though dawn was an implacable deadline. Cobb wondered what it would be like if they had all the time in the world, both suns rising before they did.

*

Nobody liked to see an Imperial cruiser in the sky, even when space traffic control confirmed its changed registration. Cobb sat by the comms all morning, keeping an ear on the chatter. He wished Din would get back soon from his hunting trip. If there was trouble, he wanted him close by. Not just for reinforcement, but to know he was safe.

The cruiser landed in the desert outside of Mos Pelgo, gusting waves of sand through the air. Cobb went out to meet it. When the ramp came down, he blinked in surprise. Three Mandalorians walked out, their armour bright with colours, their weapons sheathed but obvious.

"Never thought I'd see this many Mandalorians at once. What brings you folks to Mos Pelgo?" As if he didn't know who they must be looking for.

The lead Mandalorian took off her helmet, revealing a woman with red hair and green eyes. She gave him a sharp look. "I am Bo-Katan of the Clan Kryze. Are you Cobb Vanth, husband of Din Djarin?"

Cobb thought about bloodlines going back for generations. "Are you the one he doesn't want to marry?"

She recoiled visibly. "I don't want to marry the Mand'alor. I want to be the Mand'alor."

That sounded like the Mandalorian politics Din wanted to avoid. "Well, he just wants to be left in peace. He's got a life here. With someone who cares about him. He's earned some happiness for himself."

A distant roar as a speeder came racing over the horizon. Din was back sooner than expected. It would have been hard to miss the cruiser coming in. He slewed the speeder in an arc, bringing it to a stop, where the Mandalorians stood in a triangle facing Cobb.

Din strode up to them, asking Cobb, "Are you all right?"

"Yeah. We were just talking." He tried to signal with a smile that he was relieved to see Din.

Din addressed the Mandalorians. "What are you doing here?"

"What do you think?" Bo-Katan said. "I wanted to see for myself what kind of person you would give up the throne for."

Cobb said, "What throne?"

Even behind the helmet, Cobb could tell that Din winced.

"The throne of Mandalore." Bo-Katan narrowed her eyes. "He didn't tell you?"

Cobb felt like he had been wiped blank. "No. He didn't tell me."

So it really was politics. Much bigger politics than he had imagined. Their shared life on Tatooine suddenly seemed a lot smaller and insignificant next to these galactic powers.

"I gave up my claim," Din growled. "I gave back the Darksaber."

"You tried," she corrected. "No one else has stepped forward to claim it. You're coming back to do this properly."

Cobb moved between them, hand touching his holster. "He's not going anywhere he doesn't want to go."

"Are you challenging me?" Bo-Katan sounded incredulous.

"I already fought a dragon for him," Cobb said. "I'll fight you too, if I have to."

Din took his hand. "I can't be Mand'alor. I'm already spoken for. And I wouldn't trade this for any throne on any planet." The steady conviction in his voice did things to Cobb's heart.

"Well," Bo-Katan said at last, "I hope you're not making a mistake."

The cruiser took off, its shadow shrinking, until it was gone.

Then there was just the silence of the desert all around them.

"Looks like she bought it," Cobb said. He felt hollowed out. It was done. It was over.

"Yes. You were very convincing." Din was looking at him, opaque and unreadable.

If Cobb had known how high the stakes were, he wouldn't have built his hopes up. Of course Din had needed a way out of that mess. Of course he had wanted a friend to help him. There was no point turning this into something it wasn't.

Cobb realised they were still holding hands. He loosed his grip. Din let him go.

"So that's it then," Cobb said, in forced cheer. "Your plan worked. I guess you don't have any reason to stay." Hoping in his heart for a reason, for a promise, for a future--

Din was silent for a long moment. "I guess not."

*

Din started packing that night after dinner. The house hung heavy with unspoken words.

"You're not going to give me a kiss goodbye?" Cobb meant it as a joke, to lighten the mood, to soften the blow of parting. But his voice cracked on the last word, and he didn't think his face was hiding anything at all.

Din paused in his packing. "Of course." His voice sounded thick. Maybe a glitch in the voice modulator. He tilted his helmet, lifting it up.

Cobb froze. Din was going to do it. Cobb should stop him, but he found he didn't want to. He wanted this one last thing he could keep with him, a sweet memory for the long lonely nights ahead. So he waited, knowing this reveal meant it was over, that it was sealing their doom.

Din put down the helmet on the bedside table.

Cobb knew his hair was soft, but it was also dark.

Cobb knew his smile was warm, but it was also tentative.

Din looked back at him, eyes bright and shining. He bent forward to kiss him. Cobb grabbed onto his shoulders and drew him close, like he was battling for air. They fitted against each other perfectly, like they were carved from the same piece of oak.

*

Cobb woke alone. Morning sunlight streamed through the window. He had known from the start that this wouldn't last. So why was he feeling so heartsore? He had helped a friend in need. That was all.

He found the note tucked into his coffee cup. The careful lettering of a man unused to writing notes.

_Cobb,_

_Sorry for leaving without waking you up. I thought it would be easier this way. I've already imposed too much on your kindness and generosity. I know you never wanted this. Thank you for everything._

_Yours always,_

_Din_

Cobb stared at the note until the words ran together. He blinked the damp from his eyes. They were both damn fools. He only hoped it wasn't too late.

*

Cobb raced his speeder across the desert, over the endless miles, hoping he was in time. At the entrance to Mos Eisley, he told them, "I'm looking for the Mandalorian."

They told him, "He's staying at Hangar 3-5."

When he got there, his heart sank. The docking bay was empty. No sign of a ship.

The mechanic came out, wiping her hands on her jumpsuit. "Peli Motto. What can I do for you?"

"The Mandalorian," Cobb breathed. "He's gone?"

She looked him up and down. "Huh. I can see the appeal." She turned and yelled, "Hey, Mando! Your husband's here!"

Din emerged from the back of the hangar, slowly, hesitantly. He was holding a wrench and a cloth, which he dropped. "Cobb?"

Cobb stared, overwhelmed with relief. "I thought you'd already left. Your ship was gone."

Peli snorted. "He didn't tell you? Lost the poor old rust bucket. Hitched a ride here. Now he's crashing on my couch while he saves up for a new ride." She eyed Cobb. "Unless someone can talk some sense into him?"

Now that Cobb was faced with this moment, all his thoughts swirled like butterflies in his head. In the end, he settled for plain truth. "I want you to stay. I want to be with you for real. And I think maybe you'd like that too. Tell me if I'm wrong, and I'll go away again. But I don't think I'm wrong."

"I thought you didn't really want this," Din said. "I thought you were just playing pretend for everyone."

"I'm not that good an actor," Cobb said. "I thought you wanted to go back out there. Back to bounty hunting."

"It's the only life I know."

"It doesn't have to be." Cobb took his hand. "Come home with me."

Din clasped it tight. "If you'll have me. Then I will." It felt like a vow.

"All right! That's settled." Peli clapped her hands together. "You boys staying for dinner? I can thaw out some extra krayt dragon steaks from the freezer."

Cobb managed a polite smile. "Thanks, but we'd better be going. We've got a lot to talk about."

"Sure. Talking. Have fun." Peli waved them off. "And don't be a stranger!"

*

Cobb drove the speeder, while Din held onto his waist. He lifted his helmet to press a kiss to the nape of his neck.

"Hey," Cobb warned. "If I get distracted and crash, we're walking home."

"Wouldn't want to get stranded in the middle of nowhere," Din agreed. "Just the two of us. All alone."

"Are you flirting with me?" Cobb demanded. "Is this how Mandalorians flirt?"

"Try me and see."

In that low voice, it could be a threat or a promise. Either way, it got Cobb's pulse going.

They didn't crash the speeder. But they took their sweet time getting back.

*

BONUS SCENE

PREVIOUSLY ON THE MANDALORIAN

"Already married? You?" Bo-Katan said. "I don't believe it."

Din felt like he should be offended, even though she was perfectly correct. He folded his arms. "I don't care if you believe it."

Bo-Katan looked sceptical. "Then why is this the first time anyone has heard about it?" She gestured to everyone else on the ship, listening with avid fascination.

"Because--" Din wracked his brain for inspiration. "--it's nobody you would know. Lives on a backwater planet. In a small town. In the middle of the desert. With lots of responsibilities there--"

He was floundering. Cara looked torn between deep sympathy and suppressed laughter. Fennec was not torn at all, blatantly amused. Bo-Katan looked extremely unconvinced.

Then Boba Fett said, "Oh, you mean Cobb Vanth?"

That drew all the attention in the room.

"You know this person?" Bo-Katan said, in surprise and doubt.

"I know of him. The Marshal of Mos Pelgo. Definitely not a Mandalorian. But an honourable man, in his own way. Brave too. I can see why you would choose him." Fett gave Din a knowing look. "Not to mention, he's a handsome devil. So that's your type, is it?"

Din wanted to sink into the ground. Everyone was staring at him in speculation, clearly imagining all kinds of scenarios. Worse, Din was imagining them too, in vivid detail. He was grateful the helmet hid the heat in his face.

He guessed this meant he was going to Tatooine.


End file.
